My naïvety got the best of meWhen I found myselfBeneath the sheetsWith a man I knew nothing about.I only knew his first name.

At this time, I was a wreck.My head was full of poison,So I’d empty my stomachAnd run until I couldn’t.I’d fill the emptiness with men.

Until I found myself in a hotel bed,Miles from home, with a stranger.And there was a knock on the door.That was the moment my life changed.

Evil manifested itself in the form of 5 menWho weighed me down and took from me.Venom flew from their lips,Word like “bitch” slapped me in the faceWhile my innocence was taken from me.Again, and again,And again.

I left that hotel room as a crushed coke can,Bone dry, crumpled, tossed aside.I made it to my vehicle,Threw it in drive,And cried. Oh, how I cried.

The heavens heard me that day.I was not forsaken.But I was a long wayFrom healing.

Fast forward to today, 4 years later.I am no longer enslaved by my eating disorders and I laugh in the face of danger.I’ve already been to hell.But I feel luckyTo have survived.

Many women in my positionMay have been killed or traffickedAnd I thank my lucky stars thatAll those bastards wanted was an easy fuck.

So here I am. I believe that if you live to tell the tale, you must tell it.And so I will speak against injustice, say what’s on my mind,Love without abandon, and never give up.

I will let my trauma be a part of my story, but not define me. I’m no longer a victim.I’m a survivor.We are survivors. We are strong.I will celebrate this life and let my joy be seen.It’s one of the few thingsThose men couldn’t steal from me.